TW202017080A - Non-contact clean module - Google Patents

Abstract

A cleaning module for cleaning a wafer comprises a wafer gripping device configured to support a wafer in a vertical orientation and comprises a catch cup and a gripper assembly. The catch cup comprises a wall that has an annular inner surface that defines a processing region and has an angled portion that is symmetric about a central axis of the wafer gripping device. The gripper assembly comprises a first plate assembly, a second plate assembly, a plurality of gripping pin, and a plurality of loading pin. The gripping pins are configured to grip a wafer during a cleaning process and the loading pins are configured to grip the wafer during a loading and unloading process. The cleaning module further comprises a sweep arm coupled to a nozzle mechanism configured to deliver liquids to the front and back side of the wafer.

Description

Non-contact cleaning module

The system of embodiments of the present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for cleaning processed wafers, and more specifically, to a non-contact cleaning system and a method for processing wafers.

In various cases, before processing the wafer for electrical devices, the wafer is cleaned to remove any contamination from the wafer. In one or more embodiments, cleaning methods such as chemical polishing and/or brush scrubbing may be used to clean the wafer. However, these cleaning methods may result in particles being attached to the wafer again after the corresponding cleaning process. For example, contact media used in such cleaning processes (eg, polishing balls and/or cleaning brushes) can be a source of contamination. Particles can cause wafers to fail to support processing including analog, logic, and/or advanced memory applications. Therefore, the yield of processed wafers will be negatively affected.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved cleaning process that can be used to remove particles from a cleaned wafer before the wafer undergoes further processing.

In one example, the cleaning module includes a wafer clamping device. The wafer clamping device is configured to support the wafer in a vertical orientation and includes a pick-up cup and holder assembly. The receiving cup includes a wall with an annular inner surface. The annular inner surface defines the processing area and has an angled portion that is symmetrical about the central axis of the wafer clamping device. The holder assembly includes a first board assembly, a second board assembly, a clamping pin, and a loading pin. The clamping pin has a second plate assembly and the loading pin has a first plate assembly. The gripper assembly is configured to be positioned in the loading position, the flushing position, and the cleaning position. When in the cleaning position, the gripper assembly is positioned within the processing area. In addition, when the gripper assembly is in the loading position, the gripping pin is at a first distance from the center of the gripper assembly, and when the gripper assembly is in the cleaning position, the gripping pin is away from the center of the wafer gripping device The axis is the second distance. The first distance is greater than the second distance. In addition, when the holder assembly is in the loading position and the cleaning position, each of the loading pins is at a third distance from the central axis.

In one example, a method for cleaning a wafer in a cleaning module including a wafer holding device includes: a ring shape away from a second plate assembly of the holder assembly and toward a receiving cup of the wafer holding device The inner surface moves the first plate assembly of the gripper assembly to position the gripper assembly in the loading position. The wafer is received in the vertical orientation by the plurality of loading pins of the first board assembly. In addition, moving the first board assembly away from the second board assembly positions the plurality of clamping pins of the second board assembly at a first distance from the central axis of the wafer clamping device. In addition, the annular inner surface has an angled portion symmetrical about the central axis, and the annular inner surface defines a treatment area. The method further includes moving the first plate assembly toward the second plate assembly and away from the annular inner surface to position the holder assembly in the cleaning position. In addition, a plurality of clamping pins are positioned at a second distance from the central axis, and in response to moving the first plate assembly of the holder assembly toward the second plate assembly to hold the wafer. The first distance is greater than the second distance. In addition, the method includes simultaneously rotating the holder assembly, the pick-up cup and the wafer during the cleaning process.

The disclosed system of embodiments relates to an improved cleaning system and method for removing particles from processed wafers. In various cases, wafer cleaning is performed by chemical polishing and/or brush scrubbing. However, in this case, after any of the chemical polishing and/or brush scrubbing processes, the wafer may undergo particle attachment again. Although particles attached to the wafer again may be loosely attached to the wafer and have a relatively small size (for example, about 50 nm or less), due to defects generated by the device formed on the wafer, the particles may As a result, the wafer cannot be made into front-end logic and advanced memory devices. Therefore, the yield of processed wafers will be negatively affected. Therefore, a new cleaning method capable of removing particles attached again is needed. For example, the following description describes a system and method for a non-contact cleaning method that can be used to remove any remaining particles on a wafer after a chemical polishing and/or brush scrubbing cleaning process.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing an embodiment of a chemical mechanical planarization ("CMP") system 100. The CMP system 100 includes a factory interface 102, a cleaner 104, and a polishing module 106. The robot 111 is provided to transfer the wafer 151 between the factory interface 102 and the polishing module 106. The robot 111 may also be configured to transfer wafers between the polishing module 106 and the cleaner 104. The factory interface 102 includes a robot 110 for delivering wafers (eg, wafer 151) between one or more cassettes 114 and one or more transfer platforms 116. The robot 110 is additionally configured to receive wafers from the cleaner 104 and return the cleaned and polished wafers to the storage magazine 114.

The polishing system 100 includes a polishing module 106 that at least partially supports and houses a plurality of polishing stations 124a-124d and loading cups 123a-123b. Each polishing station 124 is adapted to polish a substrate held in a carrier head that is configured to carry a wafer 151 within a carrier head assembly that translates along an overhead rail 128. The carrier head assembly 119 moves along the rail 128 by the carrier motor attached to the bracket 108. The bracket 108 generally includes structural elements that can guide and facilitate control of the position of the carrier head assembly 119 along the overhead rail 128. In addition, the polishing module 106 also includes a loading station 122 for loading and unloading substrates from the carrier head. Each polishing station 124 includes a platform 120 that rotates during wafer polishing. In addition, each polishing station 124 uses a pad and a polishing liquid to polish the wafer (eg, wafer 151).

A controller 190 (such as a programmable computer) is connected to the components of the polishing module 106 and is configured to operate the components of the polishing module 106. For example, the controller 190 can control the loading, unloading, and polishing of the wafer 151 by the polishing module 106.

The controller 190 may include a central processing unit (central processing unit; CPU) 192, a memory 194, and support circuits 196, such as input/output circuitry, power supplies, clock circuits, cache memory, and the like. The memory 194 is connected to the CPU 192. The memory system is non-transitory computer-readable media, and can be one or more easily accessible memories, such as random access memory (random access memory; RAM), read only memory (read only memory; ROM), A floppy disk, hard disk, or other form of digital storage. In addition, although shown as a single computer, the controller 190 may be a decentralized system, for example, including multiple independently operating processors and memory. This framework is based on the programmable programming of the controller 190 and can be applied to various polishing locations to control the sequence and timing of the positioning of the carrier head at the polishing station.

The polishing system 100 further includes at least one of the following: an ultrasonic cleaning module 161, a pre-cleaning module 162, a brush box cleaning module 164, a final cleaning module 166, and a drying tank 168. In addition, Figure 1 may include an input transfer shuttle module. In one embodiment, each of the ultrasonic cleaning module 161, the pre-cleaning module 162, the brush box cleaning module 164, the final cleaning module 166, and the drying tank 168 includes a pair of processing chambers, the processing chambers The chambers are positioned side by side in the Y direction. Each of the two final cleaning modules 166 includes a cleaning module as described in more detail herein. As shown, the cleaning module 166 can be used as a final cleaning step, for example, the final cleaning module. In other embodiments, one or more cleaning modules may be positioned between the cleaning module 166 and the drying tank 168. In addition, in one or more embodiments, one or more modules may be omitted.

FIG. 2A is a schematic illustration of a cross-sectional view of the non-contact cleaning module 200 according to one or more embodiments. The cleaning module 200 may clean the wafer after one or more of the ultrasonic cleaning module 161, the pre-cleaning module 162, and the brush box cleaning module 164 and place the wafer in the corresponding Malangoni drying tank ( For example, the drying storage tank 168) previously received the wafer to be cleaned, for example, the wafer 151. In addition, in various embodiments, the cleaning module 200 may be placed anywhere within the wafer cleaning cycle and/or edge/bevel cleaning process. The cleaning module 200 may be used to remove contamination (if not removed) from the wafer, which may cause the corresponding wafer to fail to meet quality standards and be discarded.

The cleaning module 200 includes a wafer clamping device 203, a purge arm 230, a nozzle mechanism 240, an air chamber 280, a discharge device 260, a spray rod 290, a discharge device 284, and an air inlet 270. The cleaning module 200 may further include a sensing device 294.

The wafer clamping device 203 is used to support (eg, hold) the wafer 151 in a vertical orientation. For example, the wafer clamping device 203 is configured to support the wafer 151 in a vertical orientation perpendicular to the rotation axis 216. The wafer clamping device includes a pick-up cup 210 and a holder assembly 220. The receiving cup 210 may include a first receiving cup 211 and a second receiving cup 212. The first take-up cup 211 may be coupled to the second take-up cup 212. For example, the first take-up cup 211 may be coupled to the second take-up cup 212 via one or more screws. One or more of the first receiving cup 211 and the second receiving cup 212 may include one or more threaded portions configured to receive threaded screws. Alternatively, the pick-up cup 210 includes a single pick-up cup. For example, the take-up cup 210 may be formed from a single continuous piece of material.

The receiving cup 210 includes a wall 213 having an annular inner surface 214. The annular inner surface 214 defines a processing volume 297 within the wafer clamping device 203. The annular inner surface 214 has an angled portion that is symmetrical about the central axis of the wafer clamping device 203. For example, the wafer 151 may be cleaned within the processing volume 297. In addition, the annular inner surface 214 has an angled portion symmetrical about the rotation axis 216.

The holder assembly 220 holds the wafer 151 while applying cleaning fluid to the wafer 151 for cleaning. The holder assembly 220 is described in more detail with respect to Figure 3A and the corresponding description.

The cleaning fluid may be applied to the front side of the wafer by the nozzle mechanism 240 and to the back side of the wafer through the opening 225 formed in the shaft 224 coupled to the fluid source 223 while rotating the holder assembly 220 and the take-up cup 210. The shaft 224 may include one or more tubes that are configured to deliver cleaning fluid to the wafer 151.

The drive motor 222 may be coupled to the gripper assembly 220 via the shaft 224. The driving motor 222 rotates the gripper assembly 220 and the take-up cup 210 about the rotating shaft 216. In addition, the drive motor 222 may impart horizontal movement of the gripper assembly 220 along the rotation axis 216. The drive motor 222 may include a first motor and a second motor, the first motor is configured to control the rotation of the gripper assembly 220 and the take-up cup 210, and the second motor is configured to control the horizontal movement of the gripper assembly 220. The first motor may be referred to as a rotary motor, and the second motor may be referred to as a linear actuator. In addition, the second motor may be one of hydraulic, pneumatic, electromechanical, and magnetic motors. The horizontal movement of the large system moves in the axial direction or in the direction parallel to the rotation axis 216. In one embodiment, the horizontal movement corresponds to the movement in the X direction indicated by Figure 3A. In addition, the horizontal movement of the holder assembly 220 can be independent of the movement of the receiving cup 210. In addition, the gripper assembly 220 and the take-up cup 210 may be configured to rotate together (eg, at the same time).

As discussed further below, the purge arm drive motor 234 may be coupled to the purge arm shaft and used to move the purge arm 230 on an arcuate path that is parallel to the surface of the wafer 151. The purge arm 234 may include one or more tubes to deliver fluid to the nozzle mechanism 240.

The cover 202 may cover the opening formed in the wall (eg, housing wall) 283 and provide an entrance to the internal volume 295 of the cleaning module 200 for inserting and removing the wafer 151 from the cleaning module 200. When the cover 202 is in the closed position, the internal volume 295 of the cleaning module 200 may be referred to as an isolated environment. For example, when the cover 202 is closed, the internal volume 295 of the cleaning module 200 is isolated from the external environment so that the fumes and liquids generated and/or used during cleaning of the wafer 151 do not escape the cleaning module 200 during the cleaning process. Any smoke and cleaning liquid used and/or generated during the cleaning process are removed from the cleaning module 200 in a controlled manner via the exhaust device 260 and/or the exhaust device 284.

The spray bar 290 may apply the pretreatment fluid to the wafer 151 as the wafer 151 is inserted into the cleaning module 200 and/or rinse the wafer 151 with a rinse fluid as the wafer is removed from the cleaning module 200. In one embodiment, the spray bar 290 may be used to apply fluid to the wafer 151 during the wafer 151 is in the loading or unloading position. Pre-processing and/or rinsing the wafer 151 may assist in removing undesired particles from the surface of the wafer 151. For example, rinsing the wafer 151 when removing the wafer 151 from the cleaning module 200 assists in removing loose particles from the surface of the wafer 151, and further assists in preventing the removed particles from being attached to the surface of the wafer 151 again.

The drainage device 284 may be used to remove excess moisture from the cleaning module 200. In one embodiment, the drainage device 284 removes excess cleaning fluid from the cleaning module 200 during the cleaning process.

The air may be supplied to the air chamber 280 through the air inlet 270, and the air may be discharged from the cleaning module 200 through the discharge device 260. The air inlet 270 and the air chamber 280 are located in front of the cleaning module 200, and the discharge device 260 is located in the back of the cleaning module 200. In addition, the air chamber 280 and the exhaust device 260 may be used to control the air flow in the cleaning module 200 to prevent particles from being attached to the surface of the wafer 151 again. The positions of the exhaust device 260 and the air inlet 270 may be reversed so that the exhaust device 260 is located in front of the cleaning module 200 and the air inlet 270 is located in the back of the cleaning module 200.

The internal volume 295 of the cleaning module 200 may be defined between the take-up cup 210 and the wall (eg, housing wall) 283. A wafer (eg, wafer 151) may be inserted into the internal volume 295 when loaded into the cleaning module 200, and removed from the internal volume 295 when removed from the cleaning module 200.

The sensing device 294 can detect the wafer 151 in the cleaning module 200. For example, the sensing device 294 can detect the wafer 151 within the internal volume 295. In addition, the sensing device 294 can detect the wafer 151 while the wafer 151 is being held by the holder assembly 220. The sensing device 294 can detect when the wafer 151 is properly or inappropriately loaded into the holder assembly 220. In addition, the sensing device 294 can detect when the wafer 151 is dropped or dropped from the holder assembly 220. The sensing device 294 may further determine when the wafer 151 is inserted into and removed from the cleaning module 200.

In one or more embodiments, the controller 190 can control the function of the cleaning module 200. For example, the controller 190 may control at least the functions of the gripper assembly 220, spray bar 290, purge arm 230, nozzle mechanism 240, discharge device 260, and/or sensing device 294.

FIG. 2B shows an external view of two cleaning modules (for example, cleaning modules 200 and 201). In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2B, the cleaning module 201 includes the same components as the cleaning module 200.

The cleaner (eg, cleaner 104) may include one or more cleaning modules (eg, one or more of the cleaning modules 200 and 201). For example, the cleaner 104 may include a cleaning module 200, and the cleaning module 201 may be omitted. Alternatively, the cleaner 104 may include both the cleaning modules 200 and 201. In addition, the cleaner 104 may include more than two cleaning modules.

The cleaning modules 200 and 201 may include one or more inlet connections 292. The inlet connection 292 provides a path for providing cleaning fluid within the cleaning modules 200 and 201 during the cleaning process. The cleaning fluid may be provided to the nozzle mechanism 240, the tube on the purge arm next to the nozzle mechanism 240, the fluid source 223, and/or the spray wand 290. In addition, the cleaning modules 200 and 201 may include power cable connections 293 configured to be coupled to power cables external to the cleaning modules 200 and 201.

FIG. 2B additionally shows the cover 202 of the cleaning module 200 and the cover 204 of the cleaning module 201. During the wafer loading process, the covers 202 and 204 are opened so that the wafer (eg, the wafer 151) can be inserted into each of the corresponding cleaning modules 200, 201. In addition, during the wafer extraction process, the covers 202 and 204 are opened so that the wafer (eg, the wafer 151) can be extracted from each of the corresponding cleaning modules 200, 201. In one or more embodiments, during the cleaning cycle, the covers 202 and 204 are closed, thereby sealing the cleaning modules 200 and 201.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2B, the cleaning modules 200 and 201 are positioned so that the wafer 151 can be in a vertical orientation during the cleaning process. However, in other embodiments, other orientations may be used. In addition, each of the cleaning modules 200 and 201 can be used to operate as a single module specified by the cleaner (104) architecture.

FIG. 3A shows an example embodiment of the wafer clamping device 203. As shown, the wafer clamping device 203 includes a holder assembly 220 and a receiving cup 210, which is shown in FIG. 2A. During at least the cleaning cycle, the gripper assembly 220 is positioned within the processing volume 297.

The holder assembly 220 includes a first board assembly 318, a second board assembly 320, a loading pin 311, and a clamping pin 315. The holder assembly 220 is coupled to a shaft 224 that can be driven by a drive motor 222 to rotate the first plate assembly 318 and the second plate assembly 320 during the cleaning cycle of the cleaning process. In addition, the shaft 224 can be driven to move the first plate assembly 318 and the second plate assembly 320 into and out of the loading position, unloading position, rinsing position, and cleaning position. In addition, cleaning fluid can flow through the shaft 224 so that the cleaning fluid can be applied to the back side of the wafer 151 through the hole 351 in the first plate assembly 318 during the cleaning process. In one embodiment, the shaft member 224 may be a tethered groove shaft that allows the gripper assembly 220 to rotate when the shaft member 224 translates in the +X and -X directions.

The clamping pin 315 can clamp or hold the wafer 151 during the cleaning process. The clamping pin 315 may include a shaped area configured to receive the wafer 151. For example, the clamping pin 315 may include a notch area shaped to receive the edge of the wafer 151. In addition, the clamping pin 315 may be accommodated in the second plate assembly 320. Additionally or alternatively, the clamping pin 315 may be coupled to the second plate assembly 320. The clamping pins 315 may be disposed about 120° to each other. Alternatively, the clamping pins 315 may be oriented less than 120° to each other, or greater than 120° to each other. In addition, the total number of clamping pins 315 may be one or more. Alternatively, the total number of clamping pins 315 is two or more. In addition, the total number of clamping pins 315 is three or more. The clamping pin 315 can pass through an opening in the first plate assembly 318, and such clamping pin 315 can clamp or hold the wafer 151 during the cleaning cycle. The clamping pin 315 may have a minimum contact with the wafer 151 along the edge of the wafer 151 so that the clamping pin 315 does not hinder the cleaning process of the wafer 151.

The loading pin 311 can hold or hold the wafer 151 during the loading and/or unloading process. In addition, the loading pin 311 is coupled to the first board assembly 318. Since the gripper assembly 220 moves between the cleaning position and the loading or unloading position, the loading pin 311 moves with the first plate assembly 318. The loading pin 311 may include a shaped area configured to receive the wafer 151. For example, the loading pin 311 may include a notch area shaped to receive the edge of the wafer 151. The loading pin 311 may be used to have minimal contact with the wafer 151 along the edge of the wafer 151 so that the loading pin 311 does not hinder the cleaning process of the wafer 151. The loading pins 311 may be set at about 120° to each other. Alternatively, the loading pins 311 may be oriented less than 120° to each other or greater than 120° to each other. In addition, the total number of loading pins 311 may be one or more, two or more, or three or more.

The number of clamping pins 315 and loading pins 311 may be the same. Alternatively, the number of clamping pins 315 may exceed the number of loading pins 311. In addition, the number of clamping pins 315 may be smaller than the number of loading pins 311.

The first board assembly 318 and the loading pin 311 can be used during the wafer loading process. In addition, the second board assembly 320 and the clamping pin 315 are positioned so that there is no interference with the wafer during the loading process. For example, the first plate assembly 318 may move relative to the second plate assembly 320, thereby positioning the first plate assembly 318 outside the first take-up cup 211 and positioning the clamping pin 315 in the loading position. In addition, the distance between the clamp pin 315 and the center of the clamp assembly 220 increases. In addition, the clamping pin 315 may be positioned behind the loading pin 311, thereby providing an unobstructed path for vertically loading and/or unloading the wafer 151 onto the loading pin 311.

The wall 213 of the receiving cup 210 is shaped so that the wall interacts with the second plate assembly 320 and/or one or more clamping pins 315. The wall 213 may be part of the take-up cup 210 as described above, or the annular wall may be part of the first take-up cup 211. The wall 213 includes at least one angled portion so that the wall can interact with the features 312 of the second plate assembly 320. In addition, the wall 213 assists in guiding moisture away from the wafer 151 and into the drainage device 284, thereby reducing the re-attachment of particles on the wafer 151 during the cleaning process. For example, as will be described in more detail later, when the holder assembly 220 is in the wafer loading position, the features 312 interact with the wall 213 to allow the first plate assembly 318 to move relative to the second plate assembly 320.

In addition, the receiving cup 210 may include an opening 331. The diameter of the opening 331 may be large enough to allow the first plate assembly 318 to pass, but is not large enough to allow the second plate assembly 320 to pass. For example, the diameter of the opening 331 may be larger than the first plate assembly 318 and smaller than the second plate assembly 320.

The pick-up cup 210 may include drain holes 262 positioned in an array along the edge of the pick-up cup 210 so that moisture flows into the drain device 284 when the wafer 151, the holder assembly 220, and the pick-up cup 210 are rotated by the drive motor 222 in. In addition, the second receiving cup 212 may include a drain hole 262. Moisture flows through the drain hole 370 to the drain device 284 (Figure 2A), where the moisture is removed from the cleaning module 200.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the holder assembly 220 includes a first plate assembly 318 and a second plate assembly 320, which are configured to move relative to each other to assist in receiving the wafer 151 and placing the wafer in a cleaning position 151. Specifically, FIGS. 3C and 3D show an embodiment of the holder assembly 220 in the retracted position (eg, cleaning position) 300a and the extended position 300b, respectively. The gripper assembly 220 may be positioned in the retracted position 300a during the cleaning process. In addition, during the wafer loading process and/or wafer removal (unloading) process, the holder assembly 220 may be positioned in the extended position (eg, loading position) 300b. In addition, the extended position 300b may correspond to the loading position of the holder assembly 220 in the cleaning module 200. The loading/unloading position can also be used as the rinse position of the wafer 151. For example, when positioned in the loading/unloading position for rinsing, deionized water and/or other cleaning chemicals can be delivered from the top spray bar 290 onto the wafer 151. Furthermore, when the gripper assembly 220 is in the loading position, the gripper assembly 220 is positioned in the X direction at a distance from where the gripper assembly 220 is positioned in the cleaning position. In one embodiment, the coupling surface 301 of the first plate assembly 318 is coupled to and driven by the shaft 224.

One or more spring mechanisms 330 may couple the first plate assembly 318 to the second plate assembly 320. The spring mechanism 330 may include a spring 331 and a coupling member 333. When the feature (or element) 312 contacts the first take-up cup 211, the spring mechanism 330 allows the first plate assembly 318 to move relative to the second plate assembly 320. For example, the second plate assembly 320 includes features 312 that are configured to interact with the wall 213 as the holder assembly 220 moves in the positive X direction (eg, horizontally toward the first take-up cup 211). In one embodiment, each spring mechanism 330 can include one or more springs 331 that can move above or parallel to the coupling member 333.

The clamping pin 315 may be configured to move relative to at least one other pin. For example, the clamping pin 315 may include one or more elements that move the clamping pin 315 away from one or more other pins. The clamping pin 315 may be used to clamp a wafer (eg, wafer 151) during the cleaning process. In addition, the loading pin 311 can be used to clamp or hold the wafer 151 during the loading and unloading processes. In other embodiments, the clamping pin 315 may be moved to hold the wafer against the loading pin.

The holder assembly 220 may also include a guide pin 317 configured to limit the angular movement of the second plate assembly 320 relative to the first plate assembly 318.

In one or more embodiments, each clamping pin 315 may be coupled to an element 380 configured to contact the housing of the first take-up cup 211, which imparts translational motion to one or more clamping pins 315. For example, in response to the element 380 contacting the first take-up cup 211, when the gripper assembly 220 moves in the +X direction, the gripping pin 315 pivots about the shaft 302 and moves toward the outer edge of the gripper assembly 220. Figure 3B shows an example embodiment in which the element 380 has just contacted the first take-up cup 211 and is in the closed position. In one embodiment, as the holder assembly 220 moves in the +X direction, the element 380 contacts the first take-up cup 211 and pivots about the axis 302. In response, translational motion is imparted to the clamping pin 315 coupled to the element 380. In one embodiment, the element 380 continues to pivot until the movement of the holder assembly 220 in the +X direction is stopped. In one embodiment, after stopping the movement of the clamp assembly 220 in the +X direction, the element 380 and the clamping pin 315 are positioned in the open position.

In addition, element 380 may be coupled to spring element 381. The spring element 381 may further return the element 380 to the starting position, thereby moving the clamping pin 315 to the clamping position in response to the element 380 no longer contacting the housing of the first take-up cup 211. The spring element 381 can be loaded into the element 380 so that when the element 380 no longer contacts the housing of the first take-up cup 211, the element 380 returns to the starting position. In addition, the spring element 381 may be a leaf spring or any other spring design.

The loading pin 311 and the clamping pin 315 may be used to hold the wafer 151 so that the wafer 151 does not contact the first plate assembly 318 of the holder assembly 220. In addition, the position of the wafer 151 relative to the first take-up cup 211 can be adjusted during the cleaning cycle.

Figure 3F shows an embodiment of the clamping pin 315 and the element 380 in the closed position, the end 380a is not in contact with the first take-up cup 211. Figure 3G shows the element 380 and the clamping pin 315 in the open position. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3G, the end 380a of the element 380 contacts the first take-up cup 211. In addition, the element 380 has been pivoted so that the end 380b of the element 380 has moved relative to the end 380a. In one embodiment, the end 380b has rotated toward the upper surface of the second plate assembly 320. In addition, the clamping pin 315 has also been moved so that the clamping pin is inclined outward toward the first receiving cup 211.

With further reference to FIG. 3C, the holder assembly 220 further includes one or more holes 351. In one or more embodiments, cleaning fluid may flow through the holes 351 onto the backside of the wafer 151. The cleaning fluid may be a flushing agent (for example, DI water, ozone water) or a cleaning chemical. In addition, cleaning fluid may be provided via the shaft 224 and then provided to the hole 351.

Figure 3E shows a schematic partial plan view of the holder assembly 220. The hole 351 flows the chemical reagent onto the back side of the wafer 151. The one or more holes 351 may be arranged in a substantially circular or linear pattern. Each hole 351 may be substantially the same size, so that the cleaning fluid flows uniformly across the back surface of the wafer 151. In addition, at least one hole 351 may have a different size from at least one other hole.

FIG. 4A is a bottom view of the nozzle mechanism 240 attached to the purge arm 230. As shown, the nozzle mechanism 240 includes a nozzle 410, a nozzle 420, and a nozzle 430. Alternatively, one or more of the nozzle 420 and the nozzle 430 may be omitted. In addition, the nozzle mechanism 240 may include more than three nozzles. The nozzle 410 may be set at a first angle relative to the surface of the wafer 151 (eg, angle 412 in FIG. 4B), and the nozzle 420 may be set at a second angle relative to the surface of the wafer 151 (eg, in FIG. 4B Angle 422), and the nozzle 430 may be set at a third angle (eg, angle 432 in FIG. 4B) relative to the surface of the wafer 151 or the surface of the first plate assembly 318. Angle 412 may be different from at least one angle 422 and 432. In addition, angles 422 and 432 may be substantially similar. In some configurations, the nozzle 410 may be disposed at an angle (eg, angle 412) relative to the surface of the wafer, which is smaller than the angle at which the nozzle 420 and nozzle 430 are disposed relative to the surface of the wafer (eg, 422 and 432). In some configurations, the angle 412 may be about 30° to about 50° relative to the first plate assembly 318 or the surface of the wafer 151, and the angles 422 and 432 may be relative to the surface of the wafer 151 or the first plate assembly 318 The surface is about 80° to about 100°. In one embodiment, the angle 412 is about 45° relative to the surface of the wafer 151 or the surface of the first plate assembly 318, and the angles 422 and 432 are relative to the surface of the wafer 151 or the surface of the first plate assembly 318 It is about 90° (or vertical). In addition, other angles can be used. Additionally or alternatively, angles 412, 422, and 432 may each be between about 80° and about 100°. In addition, the position of each of the nozzles 410, 420, and/or 430 can be adjusted in the direction along the length of the purge arm 230 to target a specific radial position on the wafer. In addition, the angle and position of each nozzle can be selected so that the cleaning fluid output by each nozzle is used together to remove any contaminants from the surface of the wafer 151.

The nozzle mechanism 240 may be configured to output the cleaning medium onto the first surface of the wafer 151 via the nozzles 410, 420, and 430. The cleaning medium may include rinse agents and cleaning chemicals. In addition, the nozzle mechanism 240 is configured to output the first cleaning medium via the nozzle 410, the second cleaning medium via the nozzle 420, and the third cleaning medium via the nozzle 430. In addition, one or more of the nozzles 410, 420, and 430 are configured to apply one or more rinse agents.

The nozzle mechanism 240 may include one or more non-contact cleaning techniques. Nozzles 410, 420, and 430 can output a medium that is any combination of fluids, gases, and particles. In addition, one or more of the nozzles 410, 420, and 430 may be high-energy nozzles for outputting high-energy media. The high-energy medium can be any combination of liquid, gas, and particles. In addition, the high-energy medium can be a high-energy cleaning chemical. One or more of the nozzles 410, 420, and 430 may be ultrasonic nozzles, fluid injection nozzles, or kinetic energy nozzles. For example, the nozzle 410 is one of an ultrasonic nozzle, a spray nozzle, and a kinetic energy nozzle configured to deliver a mixture of gas and liquid. The ultrasonic nozzle includes one or more elements that are configured to alternately apply compression and thinning to the cleaning fluid in an alternating manner according to a sinusoidal or other pattern to produce an ultrasonically actuated fluid. For example, an ultrasonic nozzle may be configured to alternately apply compression and thinning in a sinusoidal pattern at a rate of 950 kHz to produce ultrasonically actuated fluid. Alternatively, other frequencies can be used.

The nozzle 420 is used to apply the first chemical reagent, and the nozzle 430 is configured to apply the rinse agent. In addition, when the nozzle 410 is an ultrasonic nozzle, the nozzle 420 is configured to apply a first chemical agent, and the nozzle 430 is configured to apply a second chemical agent. Alternatively, when the nozzle 410 is an ultrasonic nozzle, the nozzle 420 is configured to apply a first rinse agent, and the nozzle 430 is configured to apply a second rinse agent. In addition, at least two nozzles are used to apply the same flushing agent or chemical agent.

The cleaning fluid may be provided to the nozzle mechanism 240 via the fluid connection 440. The number of connections may be based on the number of nozzles within the nozzle mechanism and/or the number of different types of chemical reagents and/or rinse agents utilized by the nozzle mechanism 240. For example, where the nozzle mechanism 240 employs three nozzles configured to output two different cleaning fluids, two connections 440 may be utilized. In addition, the flow rate of different cleaning chemicals and/or rinsing agents through different nozzles may be different. For example, the flow rate of the cleaning chemistry or rinse agent from the first of the nozzles 410, 420, and 430 may be different from the flow rate of the cleaning chemistry or rinse agent from the second of the nozzles 410, 420, and 430. Alternatively, the flow rate of the cleaning chemical or rinsing agent from at least one of the nozzles 410, 420, and 430 may vary during the cleaning process and/or the rinsing process.

Although Figure 4 shows three separate nozzles, in other embodiments, other numbers of nozzles may be utilized. For example, more than three nozzles can be used. In addition, less than three nozzles can be used.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the nozzle mechanism 240. Compared to the embodiment of Figure 4, not all connections 440 are connected to the common side of the nozzle mechanism 240, the first connection 442 is connected to the first side of the nozzle mechanism 240 and the second connection 444 is connected to the second side of the nozzle mechanism , Where the first side is different from the second side.

Returning now to FIG. 2A, the purge arm 230 is coupled to the purge arm shaft 232 and the purge arm drive motor 234. The purge arm shaft 232 and the purge arm drive motor 234 form a purge arm drive assembly 236. The purge arm drive assembly 236 is configured to move the nozzle mechanism 240 over the surface of the wafer 151 during the cleaning process so that the cleaning fluid output by the nozzle mechanism 240 is evenly distributed over the surface of the wafer 151. The purge arm drive assembly 236 may also be configured to move the purge arm 230 axially to set the distance between the nozzle mechanism 240 and the surface of the wafer 151.

Figure 6 shows a path 610 of the purge arm 230 and nozzle mechanism 240 above the wafer 151 during a cleaning cycle according to one or more embodiments. As shown in FIG. 6, the wafer 151 is provided above the holder assembly 220 and is held by the holder assembly 220. The path 610 may be an arc-shaped path that is parallel to the device-side surface (front surface) of the wafer 151. Alternatively, other shapes and/or path lengths can be used. For example, the range of motion of the purge arm 230 may vary. As shown in FIG. 6, the nozzle mechanism 240 coupled to the end of the purge arm 230 passes through the center of the wafer in the arc path. The positions of the purge arm 230 and/or the nozzle mechanism 240 can be adjusted to ensure that the nozzle mechanism 240 passes the center of the rotating wafer 151 during processing. In addition, at least one of the position of the purge arm 230 and the position of the nozzle mechanism 240 may be adjusted so that the nozzle mechanism 240 passes a part of the wafer 151 different from the center of the wafer 151. For example, the nozzle mechanism 240 may move relative to the purge arm 230 and/or the purge arm 230 may move relative to the purge arm shaft 232 to change the position of the nozzle mechanism 240 relative to the surface of the wafer 151. In addition, the axial distance between the nozzle mechanism 240 and the surface of the wafer 151 may be changed to assist the cleaning process.

During the cleaning process, the purge arm drive motor 234 moves the purge arm shaft 232 above the wafer 151, and then moves the purge arm 230 and the nozzle mechanism 240. The purge arm drive motor 234 can control the scanning rate of the nozzle mechanism 240. For example, the purge arm drive motor 234 may control the speed at which the nozzle mechanism scans along the path 610.

Figure 6 further shows the spray wand 290. The spray bar 290 may pretreat the wafer 151 as the wafer is inserted into the cleaning module 200 and rinse the wafer 151 as the wafer is removed from the cleaning module 200. The spray wand 290 may include one or more nozzles that are configured to output the configured fluid or fluids. Alternatively, the spray wand 290 may include a tube with holes designed to maintain uniform flow across the spray wand 290. For example, as the wafer 151 passes through the spray bar 290, when the wafer 151 is transferred into and out of the cleaning module 200, and the spray bar 290 applies rinse fluid to the wafer 151 to ensure that the wafer 151 remains wet during the transfer process, and As the wafer is removed from the cleaning module 200, the particles are not attached to the wafer 151 again.

FIG. 7A shows an example of the airflow pattern in the cleaning module 200. As shown by the airflow pattern, as the airflow flows out of the air chamber 280 and out of the discharge device 260, recirculation is minimized. In general, the shape of the annular inner surface 214 of the wall 213 and the outer surface of the take-up cup 210 help reduce air recirculation and capture fluid flowing out of the wafer surface as the fluid rotates about the rotation axis 313. In one embodiment, the annular inner surface 214 of the wall 213 has an inverted shape so that the airflow within the treatment volume 297 follows the outer edge of the holder assembly 220 and enters the discharge device 260. In addition, the outer surface of the take-up cup 210 may be shaped such that the airflow within the internal volume 295 surrounds the outside of the take-up cup 210 and enters the discharge device 260. In addition, the shape of the outer surface of the take-up cup 210 may force most of the airflow to travel around the outside of the take-up cup 210 and enter the discharge device 260.

One or more sides of the drain hole 262 may be angled so that the distance between the sides of the drain hole 262 is different. For example, the drain hole 262 may be tapered. The tapered drain hole may increase the rate of fluid pumping from the area inside the take-up cup 210. In addition, the labyrinth 264 may be formed between the taking cup 210 and the housing of the cleaning module 200. The labyrinth 264 may be used to at least partially restrict the flow of water back through the labyrinth 264 and into the internal volume 295.

The air chamber 280 may be configured to control the air flow within the cleaning module 200 to minimize recirculation. For example, the air chamber 280 may increase and/or decrease the amount of air flowing into the cleaning module 200 to minimize recirculation. Due to the configuration of the take-away cup 210, the holder assembly 220, the air chamber 280, the discharge device 260, the spray bar 290, the discharge device 284, and the air inlet 279 disclosed herein, airflow recirculation can be minimized.

In one embodiment, during the cleaning process, a uniform gas flow across the surface of the wafer 151 is generated by the discharge device 260 and the gas chamber 280. In various embodiments, the discharge device 260 is configured to provide a path for air to flow out of the cleaning module 200 to prevent particles from being attached to the surface of the wafer 151 again. As described above, the air may be supplied to the air chamber 280 through the air inlet 270, and the air may be discharged from the cleaning module 200 through the discharge device 260. The air chamber 280 may be a shower head type air chamber. In addition, the geometry of the discharge device 260 and/or the shape of the receiving cup 210 (or the shape of the first receiving cup 211 and/or the second receiving cup 212) can be optimized to reduce the Recycle. Reducing recirculation at least minimizes the reattachment of particles on the wafer 151 and any evaporated cleaning fluid. The geometry of the discharge device 260 and/or the shape of the pick-up cup 210 (or the shape of the first pick-up cup 211 and/or the second pick-up cup 212) can create a labyrinth 264 behind the pick-up cup 210, thereby minimizing cycle. In addition, the drainage device 284 provides a path for removing cleaning fluid and flushing fluid from the cleaning module 200, thereby minimizing recirculation within the cleaning module 200. The gas chamber 280 may be positioned along the wall 283 of the cleaning module 200 so that the gas chamber 280 is positioned near the nozzle mechanism 240 and the wafer 151 is tied between the gas chamber 280 and the discharge device 260.

FIG. 7B is a schematic top view of portions of the holder assembly 220, the hole 351, and the drain hole 262 according to one or more embodiments. Each drain hole 262 is fluidly coupled to the drain device 284. In addition, as the holder assembly 220, the take-up cup 210, and the wafer 151 rotate, the fluid is forced to pass through the drain hole 262, where the fluid is removed from the cleaning module by the drain device 284.

The drain hole 262 may be positioned along the edge of the take-up cup 210 (or the second take-up cup 212) so that moisture flows into the drain hole 262 during the cleaning process. The drain hole 262 may assist in removing moisture from the cleaning module during the cleaning cycle to ensure that all particles removed from the surface of the wafer 151 during the cleaning process are removed from the cleaning module 200. In various embodiments, at least two drain holes 262 are utilized. In other embodiments, more than two drain holes 262 are utilized.

The drain hole 262 may be configured to reduce air and/or fluid recirculation within the cleaning module 200. For example, the size and/or orientation of the drain hole 262 may be used to reduce air and/or fluid recirculation. The drain hole 262 may have an inclined or angled orientation with respect to the surface of the take-up cup 210 (or the second take-up cup 212).

In one embodiment, the drain device 284 and/or the drain device 260 may include one or more internal labyrinth seals that minimize the flow of moisture into the drain hole (or port) 262.

The drainage device 284 may be used to remove excess moisture and/or all fluids from the cleaning module 200 when the cleaning cycle is completed. In one embodiment, moisture flows through the drain hole 262 and enters the drain device 284. For example, as the wafer 151 rotates, the drain hole 262 is used to ensure that moisture does not collect on the wafer 151 and is removed via the drain device 284. In one embodiment, one or more O-rings or other sealing members may be positioned where the drainage device 284 meets the cleaning module 200.

FIG. 7B further shows exhaust holes 262 that are connected to the exhaust device 260 and serve to provide a path for air to flow within the processing volume 297, flow around the wafer 151, and enter the exhaust device 260. In one embodiment, the vent hole 261 assists in minimizing recirculation within the cleaning module.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method 800 for cleaning wafers (eg, wafer 151) according to one or more embodiments. At operation 810, as shown in FIG. 9A discussed further below, the cleaning module is placed in the wafer loading position. For example, the cover 202 is opened and the holder assembly 220 of the cleaning module 200 moves toward the annular inner surface 214 of the wall 213 of the receiving cup 210 in a lateral direction (for example, X direction) parallel to the rotation axis 216. Moving the clamp assembly 220 toward the wall 213 places the clamp assembly 220 in the loading position. In one embodiment, placing the gripper assembly 220 in the loading position includes moving the gripper assembly 220 toward the wall 213 via the shaft 224 and drive motor 222 (eg, operation 812). For example, the drive motor 222 drives the shaft 224 in the lateral direction to move the gripper assembly 220 toward the wall 213 so that the feature 312 of the second plate assembly 320 of the gripper assembly 220 contacts the annular inner surface 214 of the wall 213. When the feature 312 contacts the wall 213, the movement of the second plate assembly 320 is suspended while the first plate assembly 318 continues to move so that at least a portion of the first plate assembly 318 is positioned in the internal volume 295. The first plate assembly 318 remains coupled to the second plate assembly 320 via the spring mechanism 330. For example, as the first plate assembly 318 moves in the positive X direction and the movement of the second plate assembly 320 is suspended, the spring mechanism 330 extends, thereby maintaining the coupling between the first plate assembly 318 and the second plate assembly 320.

Each element 380 is coupled to a corresponding clamping pin of the clamping pin 315, and since the element 380 contacts the wall 213, each clamping pin 315 is inclined (or moved) away from each other movable pin. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, since the element 380 contacts the wall 213, the element 380 pivots and the clamping pin 315 moves in an outward direction, thereby tilting away from the center of the holder assembly 220. Moving the clamping pin 315 includes moving the clamping pin 315 toward the outer edge of the holder assembly 220 so that the clamping pins are inclined away from other pins (eg, the loading pin 311 and other clamping pins of the clamping pin 315), And the separation distance between the clamping pins 315 increases.

The holder assembly 220 is placed in the extended position 300b so that the wafer 151 can be received for cleaning and/or the wafer 151 is removed from the cleaning module 200 after the cleaning cycle has been completed. For example, the holder assembly 220 can be driven by the drive motor 222 and the shaft 224 so that at least a portion of the first plate assembly 318 extends beyond the wall 213 of the take-up cup 210 and into the internal volume 295, and is in the extended position 300b.

Figure 9A illustrates an embodiment where the holder assembly 220 is positioned in the loading position. In the embodiment of FIG. 9A, the clamping pin 315 has moved outward and the first plate assembly 318 has moved away from the second plate assembly 320. In addition, at least the loading pin 311 rests outside the take-up cup 210 and in the internal volume 295 so that the wafer 151 can be received on the loading pin 311 from the robot. In the loading position, the surface 301 of the first plate assembly 318 may be parallel to the outer edge of the wall 213, recessed from the wall 213 of the receiving cup 210 in the processing volume 297, or outside the wall 213 of the receiving cup 210 and at The internal volume is 295. Alternatively, when in the loading position, the surface 301 is parallel to the outer edge of the wall 213 or within the treatment volume 297, while the loading pin 311 rests outside the wall 213 and in the internal volume 295.

The controller 190 may provide an instruction to the drive motor 222 to move the shaft member 224 in the lateral direction along the rotation axis 313 of FIG. 3A, thereby moving the gripper assembly 220 in the lateral direction. In addition, the controller 190 may receive a flag indicating that the cleaning module 200 is ready to receive wafers for cleaning.

At operation 820 of method 800, the wafer is received for cleaning. For example, in one embodiment, the robot 910 inserts the wafer 151 into the holder assembly 220 for cleaning. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 9A, the robot 910 inserts the wafer 151 so that the wafer is held by the loading pins 311 (for example, placed in the grooves of the loading pins). For example, the robot 910 is configured to place the wafer 151 into the loading pin 311 of the holder assembly 220.

During entry into the cleaning module 200, one or more spray bars 290 may pre-treat the wafer 151 by applying one or more fluids to the wafer as the wafer 151 is inserted into the cleaning module 200. In one embodiment, after cleaning the wafer 151 in one or more other cleaning modules (eg, ultrasonic cleaning module 161, pre-cleaning module 162, or brush box cleaning module 164), the wafer may be received 151.

After the wafer 151 has been fully inserted into the loading pin 311, the robot 910 releases the wafer 151 and retracts from the cleaning module 200.

The controller 190 may provide instructions to the spray wand 290 to start the pretreatment process. In addition, the controller 190 may receive a flag indicating that the wafer 151 has been inserted into the cleaning module 200. For example, the controller 190 may receive sensor data from the sensing device 294 indicating that the wafer 151 has been placed in the cleaning module 200 and generate an instruction for the spray bar 290 to start the pretreatment process.

At operation 830 of method 800, the cleaning module is placed in the cleaning position. For example, as shown in operation 832, the cleaning module 200 may be placed in the cleaning position by moving the holder assembly 220 away from the wall 213. The drive motor 222 drives the shaft 224 to retract the gripper assembly 220 into the processing volume 297. For example, the drive motor 222 may drive the shaft member 224 in the lateral or horizontal direction (eg, X direction) along the rotation shaft 216 to move the gripper assembly 220 away from the wall 213.

As the drive motor 222 moves the holder assembly 220 away from the wall 213, the first plate assembly 318 is brought back into contact with the second plate assembly 320, and the contact between the feature 312 and the wall 213 is ended. In addition, the element 380 pivots to the closed position, and the clamping pins 315 move toward each other and clamp the wafer 151. The clamping pin 315 applies pressure to the wafer to hold the wafer 151. Each clamping pin 315 may be coupled to a spring mechanism that applies a force to clamp the wafer 151. The driving motor 222 can drive the shaft member 224 until the second plate assembly 320 contacts the receiving cup 210.

Additionally, as the holder assembly 220 moves in the negative X direction (eg, horizontally away from the wall 213), the feature 312 moves away from the wall 213, and the spring mechanism 330 keeps clamping the second plate assembly 320 to the first plate assembly 318. When the feature 312 no longer contacts the wall 213, the first plate assembly 318 and the second plate assembly 320 may be in contact with each other.

As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 9C, the wafer 151 is held by the clamping pin 315 of the holder assembly 220. In the illustrated embodiment, the holder assembly 220 has moved away from the wall 213 in the X direction (for example, parallel to the rotation axis 216), so that the element 380 moves away from the wall 213, and the holding pin 315 holds the wafer 151. In addition, the robot 910 has retracted from the internal volume 295 of the cleaning module 200.

The controller 190 may be configured to provide instructions to the drive motor 222 to move the shaft 224 away from the wall 213 in the lateral direction, thereby moving the gripper assembly 220 in the transverse direction and away from the wall 213. The controller 190 may initiate movement of the gripper assembly 220 based on sensor data received from the sensing device 294, which indicates that the wafer 151 is being held by the gripper assembly 220 and has moved from the internal volume 295 Except robot 910. Once the gripper assembly 220 has been placed in the retracted position 300a, a cleaning cycle can be initiated.

At operation 840, the wafer is cleaned. The wafer 151 and the holder assembly 220 are placed in the cleaning position so that the wafer and the holder assembly rest completely within the processing volume 297. As shown by operation 842, performing a cleaning cycle includes positioning a purge arm above the wafer 151 and distributing fluid onto the front and back surfaces of the wafer 151 via the nozzle mechanism 240 and the shaft 224. In addition, as shown by operation 844, performing the cleaning cycle includes rotating the wafer 151. For example, the driving motor 222 can simultaneously rotate the wafer 151, the receiving cup 210, and the holder assembly 220. The position of the wafer 151 within the processing volume 297 may be changed during the cleaning process. For example, the distance between the wafer 151 and the second take-up cup 212 may be changed. The rate at which fluid is applied to the front and back surfaces of wafer 151 via nozzle mechanism 240 and shaft 224 can be modified. For example, the fluid may be applied to the front and back surfaces of the wafer 151 at the same rate or different rates. Alternatively, the rate of applying fluid to the front and back surfaces of the wafer 151 may be changed during the cleaning process or the rinsing process. For example, the rate of applying fluid to the front surface of the wafer 151 via the nozzle mechanism may increase or decrease during the cleaning or rinsing process. In addition, the rate at which fluid is applied to the back surface of the wafer 151 via the shaft 224 may increase or decrease during the cleaning or rinsing process.

The cleaning wafer 151 includes a continuous rotating pickup cup 210 (for example, the first pickup cup 211 and the second pickup cup 212), the holder assembly 220, and the wafer 151, while applying a cleaning fluid to the first One side (front surface) and the second side (back surface). Rotating the take-up cup 210, the holder assembly 220, and the wafer 151 simultaneously apply cleaning fluid to assist in minimizing and/or eliminating the reattachment of particles to any surface of the wafer 151. The drive motor 222 may be configured to simultaneously rotate the pickup cup 210, the holder assembly 220, and the wafer 151. For example, the driving motor 222 can rotate the shaft 224 to rotate the receiving cup 210, the holder assembly 220, and the wafer 151. The wafer 151 rotates at a speed in the range of about 500 RPM to about 1000 RPM, so that the fluid is removed from the surface of the wafer 151. Alternatively, the wafer 151 may rotate at a speed of less than 500 RPM or greater than about 1000 RPM. In addition, the rate at which the wafer 151 rotates can be changed during the cleaning process.

The first cleaning fluid may be applied to the back surface of the wafer 151 (eg, the surface of the wafer 151 facing the surface 301) via the fluid source 223, the shaft 224, and one or more holes 351. In addition, the second fluid may be applied to the front surface of the wafer 151 via the nozzle mechanism 240 (eg, the surface of the wafer 151 facing away from the surface 301). The scan arm driving motor 234 may move the scan arm 230 so that the nozzle mechanism 240 moves over the front surface of the wafer 151 in an arc-shaped path. The nozzle mechanism 240 may be configured to apply cleaning fluid to the front surface of the wafer 151 during the cleaning process. The fluid may include cleaning chemicals and/or flushing agents. The cleaning fluid can be applied to the front and back surfaces of the wafer 151 substantially simultaneously. In addition, the cleaning fluid may be applied to the front surface of the wafer 151 independently of applying the cleaning fluid to the back surface of the wafer 151. For example, during one or more overlapping and non-overlapping periods, cleaning fluid may be applied to the front surface of the wafer 151 and cleaning fluid may be applied to the back surface of the wafer 151. During the first non-overlapping period, one or more cleaning fluids may be applied to the front surface of the wafer 151, and during the second non-overlapping period, one or more cleaning fluids may be applied to the back surface of the wafer 151. The overlapping and non-overlapping cycles of cleaning cycles can occur in any order. In addition, the number and/or order of overlapping and non-overlapping cycles can be changed between cleaning cycles. In addition, despite being in the cleaning position, at least the cleaning fluid splashing back onto the wafer 151 is reduced or eliminated.

FIG. 9D shows an embodiment where the wafer 151 is in the cleaning position. The cleaning position includes positioning the gripper assembly 220 within the processing volume 297. In addition, once the wafer holder 210 has been placed in the cleaning position, a cleaning cycle may be initiated.

During at least one of the cleaning process, the loading process, and the unloading process, the airflow in the cleaning module 200 mitigates the occurrence of recirculation, thereby preventing particles from attaching to the surface of the wafer 151 again.

The controller 190 may receive a flag indicating that the gripper assembly 220 is positioned in the cleaning position. The flag may be provided in the sensor data from the sensing device 294. In addition, the controller 190 may be configured to control the flow of cleaning fluid through the shaft 224 and the hole 351 and the movement and control of the fluid through the nozzle mechanism 240. The controller 190 may provide instructions to the purge arm drive motor 234 to move the nozzle mechanism 240 across the surface of the wafer 151. In addition, the controller 190 may output instructions to the nozzle mechanism to dispense cleaning fluid from one or more nozzles. In addition, the controller 190 may control the timing of the nozzles so that the cleaning fluid is output at different times. For example, one nozzle can be controlled to start dispensing cleaning fluid before the other nozzle. One or more nozzles may be configured to output cleaning fluid while at least another nozzle does not output cleaning fluid.

At operation 850, the cleaned wafer is removed from the cleaning module. Removing the wafer 151 from the cleaning module includes operation 852, moving the gripper assembly 220 toward the wall 213 to place the gripper assembly 220 in the unloading position. The unloading position may correspond to at least partially moving the first plate assembly 318 of the clamp assembly 220 into the internal volume 295 and placing the clamp pin 315 in the retracted and tilted position. For example, the loading position may include positioning one or more pins 311 and the surface 301 of the first plate assembly 318 in the internal volume 295. In addition, removing the wafer from the cleaning module includes operations 854 and 856 to stop dispensing the cleaning fluid, and stopping wafer rotation. The receiving cup 210, the holder assembly 220, and the wafer 151 can be continuously rotated by the driving motor 222 until the wafer 151 is within the internal volume 295.

At the end of the cleaning cycle, the holder assembly 220 is moved into the loading position by the drive motor 222 and the shaft 224. In addition, the nozzle mechanism 240 may terminate the spray fluid, and the nozzle mechanism 240 and the purge arm 230 may move away from the wall 213 at the end of the cleaning cycle and before moving the gripper assembly 220. At the end of the cleaning cycle, the nozzle mechanism 240 and the purge arm 230 may be positioned so that they do not interfere with the movement of the gripper assembly 220 and the robot 910.

At the end of the cleaning cycle, the dispensing of cleaning fluid can be stopped. Additionally, before moving the gripper assembly 220 toward the wall 213, the dispensing of cleaning fluid may be stopped. Alternatively, the fluid may continue to be provided on the back surface of the wafer 151 while stopping the distribution of the fluid to the top surface.

In addition, when the gripper assembly 220 is moved, the gripper assembly 220 and the take-up cup 210 can be rotated as described above to minimize the attachment of particles to the wafer 151 again. In one embodiment, rotating the holder assembly 220 and the take-up cup 210 while moving the holder assembly 220 reduces splashing of cleaning fluid back onto the wafer 151. In addition, the rotation of the gripper assembly 220 and the take-up cup 210 is stopped before the element 380 contacts the wall 213. In addition, the rotation of the gripper assembly 220 and the take-up cup 210 can be stopped just before the element 380 contacts the wall 213.

FIG. 9A shows an example embodiment in which the holder assembly 220 is positioned in the unloading position so that the robot 910 can remove the wafer 151 from the cleaning module 200. The robot 910 may enter the cleaning module through an opening that is not obstructed by the cover 202, pick up the cleaning wafer 151, and remove the cleaning wafer 151 from the cleaning module 200.

The controller 190 may provide instructions to the drive motor 222 to move the shaft 224 toward the wall 213 in the lateral direction, thereby moving the gripper assembly in the lateral direction and toward the wall 213 to place the gripper assembly 220 in the unloading position , So that the robot 910 can remove the cleaned wafer 151 from the cleaning module 200. In addition, once the wafer 151 is positioned in the internal volume 295, the controller 190 may provide instructions to the drive motor 222 to stop the rotation of the pick-up cup 210 and the holder assembly 220. The controller 190 may also provide instructions to the nozzle mechanism 240 and/or the fluid source 223 to stop dispensing the cleaning fluid. The controller 190 may receive sensor data from the sensing device 294 indicating that the wafer 151 has been placed in the unloading position, and initiate an unloading process in response to the sensor data.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a non-contact vertical cleaning module (eg, cleaning module 1000) used in a wafer processing system according to one or more embodiments. The cleaning module 1000 is configured to clean the wafer 151 in a vertical orientation (eg, perpendicular to the rotation axis 1016). The cleaning module 1000 is similar to the cleaning module 200. For example, the cleaning modules 200 and 1000 include a nozzle mechanism 240, an air chamber 280, a discharge device 260, a spray rod 290, a discharge device 284, an air inlet 270, a drive motor 222, a shaft 224, and a fluid source 223. These elements are described in more detail above. However, the wafer clamping device 1003 of the cleaning module 1000 is different from the wafer clamping device 203 of the cleaning module 200.

Like the cleaning module 200, the cleaning module 1000 can clean the wafer after one or more of the ultrasonic cleaning module 161, the pre-cleaning module 162, and the brush box cleaning module 164 and place the wafer in the corresponding The Marangoni dry storage tank (for example, the dry storage tank 168) previously received the wafer to be cleaned, for example, the wafer 151. The cleaning module 1000 can be placed anywhere within the wafer cleaning cycle and/or edge/bevel cleaning process. The cleaning module 1000 can be used to remove contamination (if not removed) from the wafer, which can cause the wafer to fail to meet quality standards and be discarded.

The wafer clamping device 1003 is used to support the wafer 151 in a vertical orientation (for example, an orientation perpendicular to the rotation axis 1016). The wafer clamping device 1003 includes a pick-up cup 1010 and a holder assembly 1020. The take-up cup 1010 is configured to be similar to the take-up cup 210. For example, the receiving cup 1010 may contain a single piece of material as described with respect to the receiving cup 210. Alternatively, the taking cup 1010 may include a first taking cup 1011 and a second taking cup 1012. Similar to the first receiving cup 211 and the second taking cup 212, the first taking cup 1011 and the second taking cup 1012 may be coupled to each other.

The receiving cup 1010 includes a wall 1013. Wall 1013 is configured to be similar to wall 213 as described above. The wall 1013 includes an annular inner surface 1014 that is configured to be similar to the annular inner surface 214 as described above. The annular inner surface 1014 has an angled portion that is symmetrical about the central axis of the wafer clamping device 1003. The takeover cup 1010 is described in more detail below.

The drive motor 222 is coupled to the gripper assembly 1020. The drive motor 222 is described in more detail above. The drive motor 222 may include a first motor and a second motor, the first motor is configured to control the rotation of the gripper assembly 1020 and the take-up cup 1010 about the rotating shaft 1016, and the second motor is configured to control the gripper assembly 1020 Move horizontally. The horizontal movement system moves in the axial direction of the holder assembly 1020, or in the direction parallel to the rotation axis 1016. The horizontal movement corresponds to the movement in the X direction. In addition, the horizontal movement of the holder assembly 1020 can be independent of the movement of the receiving cup 1010. In addition, the gripper assembly 1020 and the pick-up cup 1010 can be configured to rotate together, for example, the gripper assembly 1020 and the pick-up cup can rotate simultaneously.

As described above with respect to the cleaning module 200, the spray bar 290 may apply the pretreatment fluid to the wafer 151 as the wafer 151 is inserted into the cleaning module 1000, and/or as the wafer is removed from the cleaning module 1000 The wafer 151 is rinsed with rinse fluid. During the time when the wafer 151 is not clamped and cleaned, the spray bar 290 may be used to apply fluid to the wafer 151.

As described above with respect to the cleaning module 200a, the drain device 284 may be used to remove excess moisture from the cleaning module 1000. The drain device 284 may remove excess cleaning fluid from the cleaning module 1000 during the cleaning process.

As described with respect to the cleaning module 200, the air chamber 280 may receive air to be circulated within the cleaning module 1000 from the air inlet 270. In addition, air can be discharged from the cleaning module 1000 by the discharge mechanism 260. The air inlet 270 and the air chamber 280 are located in front of the cleaning module 200, and the discharge device 260 is located in the back of the cleaning module 1000. Alternatively, the positions of the discharge device 260 and the air inlet 270 may be reversed so that the discharge device 260 is located in front of the cleaning module 1000 and the air inlet 270 is located on the back of the cleaning module 1000. In addition, the air chamber 280 and the exhaust device may be configured to control the flow of air within the cleaning module 1000 to prevent particles from being attached to the surface of the wafer 151 again.

The cleaning module 1000 may further include a sensing device 294. The sensing device 294 device is described in more detail above. The sensing device 294 can detect the wafer 151 in the cleaning module 1000. For example, the sensing device 294 can detect the wafer 151 within the internal volume 295. In addition, the sensing device 294 can detect the wafer 151 while the wafer 151 is being held by the holder assembly 1020. The sensing device 294 can detect when the wafer 151 is properly or inappropriately loaded into the holder assembly 1020. In addition, the sensing device 294 can detect when the wafer 151 is dropped or dropped from the holder assembly 1020.

The controller 190 can control the functions of the cleaning module 1000 similar to the cleaning module 200. For example, the controller 190 may control at least the functions of the drive motor 222, the gripper assembly 1020, the spray bar 290, the purge arm 230, the nozzle mechanism 240, the air inlet 270, and/or the discharge device 260.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the wafer clamping device 1003 shown in FIG. 10. During the cleaning process, the gripper assembly 1020 is positioned within the processing volume 297. In addition, the holder assembly 1020 includes a first board assembly 1022, a second board assembly 1024, a loading pin 1030, and a clamping pin 1032. The first plate assembly 1022 is coupled to a shaft 224 that is driven by a drive motor 222 during the cleaning cycle to rotate the first plate assembly 1022, the second plate assembly 1024, and the take-out cup 1010. In addition, the drive motor 222 can move the shaft 224 horizontally along the shaft 1016 to move the holder assembly 1020 into and out of the loading position and the cleaning position. In addition, the cleaning fluid can flow through the shaft 224 so that the cleaning fluid can be applied to the back side of the wafer 151 through the hole 1051 in the first plate assembly 1022 during the cleaning process. In one embodiment, the shaft member 224 may be a tethered groove shaft that allows the gripper assembly 1020 to be driven when the shaft member 224 translates in the +X and -X directions.

The annular inner surface 1014 of the wall 1013 may be shaped to assist in guiding moisture away from the wafer 151 and into the drain 284 during cleaning, and to reduce the attachment of particles to the wafer 151 again. For example, the annular inner surface 1014 may include a first angled portion and a second angled portion to assist in guiding moisture away from the wafer 151 during cleaning. The first angled portion may be larger than the second angled portion. In addition, the angle of the second angled portion with respect to the surface 1101 of the first plate assembly 1022 may be greater than the angle of the first angled portion with respect to the surface 1101 of the first plate assembly 1022.

The take-up cup 1010 may be configured to include a first take-up cup 1011 and a second take-up cup 1012. The first pickup cup 1011 may be attached to the second pickup cup 1012. For example, the first take-up cup 1011 may be attached to the second take-up cup 1012 via one or more screws or similar attachment devices. The first take-up cup 1011 and/or the second take-up cup 1012 may include one or more threaded portions configured to receive threaded screws. Alternatively, the take-out cup 1010 may be formed from a single piece of material.

The second receiving cup 1012 may include the drain hole 262 of FIG. 7B. The drain holes 262 may be positioned in an array along the edge of the pick-up cup 1010, so that when the wafer 151, the holder assembly 220, and the pick-up cup 1010 are rotated by the driving motor 222, the moisture flows into the drain device 284. In addition, the drain holes 262 may be positioned in an array along the edge of the second receiving cup 1012. Moisture flows through the drain hole 262 into the drain device 284, where the moisture is removed from the cleaning module 1000.

The first plate assembly 1022 and the second plate assembly 1024 are used to move relative to each other to assist in receiving the wafer 151 and placing the wafer 151 in a cleaning position. Specifically, FIGS. 12A and 12B show an embodiment of the holder assembly 1020 in the retracted position 1200a and the extended position 1200b, respectively. The gripper assembly 1020 can be positioned in the retracted position 1200a during the cleaning process. In addition, during the wafer loading process and/or wafer removal (unloading) process, the holder assembly 1020 may be positioned in the extended position 1200b. The extended position 1200b may correspond to the loading position of the holder assembly 1020 in the cleaning module 1000. In addition, when in the loading position, the gripper assembly 1020 can be positioned at a distance from the cleaning position in the X direction. The surface 1101 of the first plate assembly 1022 is coupled to and driven by the shaft 224.

The receiving cup 1010 includes one or more spring mechanisms 1230 coupled to the second plate assembly 1024. The spring mechanism 1230 is used to maintain the second plate assembly 1024 within a certain distance of the pickup cup 1010 and allow the second plate assembly 1024 to move relative to the pickup cup 1010. In an embodiment in which the picking cup 1010 includes a first picking cup 1011 and a second picking cup 1012, one or more spring mechanisms 1230 are disposed in the second picking cup 1012.

The spring mechanism 1230 will generally include a spring 1231 and a coupling member 1233. The spring mechanism 1230 allows the second plate assembly 1023 to move relative to the pickup cup 1010 (or the second pickup cup 1012) when the first plate assembly 1022 is horizontally driven by the shaft 224. For example, as the first plate assembly 1022 moves into the extended (eg, loading or unloading position) position 1200b, the spring mechanism 1230 extends to move the second plate assembly away from the take-up cup 1010 (or the second take-up cup 1012) 1024. Each spring mechanism 1230 may include one or more springs 1231 that move above or parallel to the coupling member 1233. The axial movement of the second plate assembly 1024 may be limited by the coupling member 1233.

One or more actuator pins 1242 may be disposed within the take-up cup 1010 (or the second take-up cup 1012). The actuator pin 1242 may be coupled to the spring element 1243. Alternatively, the actuator pin 1242 can be omitted and only the spring element 1243 can be used. In addition, the number of actuator pins 1242 is equal to the number of clamping pins 1032. For example, each actuator pin 1242 may be used to interact with a corresponding clamping pin of clamping pin 1032.

The gripper assembly 1020 may include a loading pin 1030 and a gripping pin 1032. The loading pin 1030 may be used to receive and hold the wafer 151 during the loading process and hold the wafer 151 during the unloading process. The loading pin 1030 may be fixed to the first board assembly 1022.

The clamping pin 1032 may include one or more elements 1240 that are configured to impart motion to the clamping pin 1032. For example, the clamping pins 1032 may be configured such that the distance between each clamping pin 1032 and the center of the clamp assembly 1020 is variable. In addition, the clamping pin 1032 may be coupled to the second plate assembly 1024. For example, the second plate assembly 1024 may include a cavity in which the clamping pin 1032 is disposed. The clamping pin 1032 may clamp a wafer (eg, wafer 151) during the cleaning process.

The clamp assembly 1020 may include one or more loading pins 1030 and one or more clamping pins 1032. For example, the gripper assembly 1020 may include at least three gripping pins 1032 and at least three loading pins 1030. The clamping pins 1032 may be arranged such that each pin system is approximately 120° from the other clamping pin. Alternatively, the clamping pins 315 may be arranged at other angles to each other. In addition, the loading pins 1030 may be arranged such that each pin is approximately 120° from the other loading pin. Alternatively, the loading pins 1030 may be set at other angles to each other. In addition, the clamping pin 1032 may be set according to a first angle, and the loading pin 1030 may be set according to a second angle different from the first angle. The number of clamping pins 1032 may be greater than the number of loading pins 1030. Alternatively, the clamping pins 1032 are equal to or less than the number of loading pins 1030.

The clamping pin 1032 is movable between a loading or unloading position and a clamping position. For example, as the element 1240 disengages from the actuator pin 1242 and engages the stopper 1247, the clamping pin 1032 moves between the clamping position and the loading position. The clamping pin 1032 is illustrated in the clamping position in the embodiment of FIG. 12A, and the clamping pin 1032 is illustrated in the loading position in the embodiment of FIG. 12B.

The stopper 1247 can be attached to a part of the taking cup 1010. Alternatively, the stopper 1247 is attached to the taking cup 1010. Additionally, at least a portion of the stopper 1247 can be positioned within the cavity 1246. For example, the stop 1247 may include a protrusion positioned within the cavity and interact with the element 1240 to control the movement of the clamping pin 1032. The distance between the protrusion of the stopper 1247 and the actuator pin 1242 may define the amount of movement of the clamping pin 1032. For example, as the distance between the protrusion of the stopper 1247 and the actuator pin 1242 is optimized, the clamping pin 1032 is allowed to move by a larger amount. In addition, although a single stopper 1247 is illustrated, the clamping assembly 1020 may include a stopper 1247 for each clamping pin 1032.

The clamping pin 1032 can move to the clamping position in response to the first plate assembly 1022 imparting motion to the second plate assembly 1024. For example, when the first plate assembly 1022 is driven into the retracted position (eg, cleaning position) 1200a or the extended position (eg, loading or unloading position) by the shaft 224. When the gripper assembly is placed into the cleaning position, the force applied by the first plate assembly 1022 to the second plate assembly 1024 can cause the spring mechanism 1230 to compress, allowing the second plate assembly 1024 and elements (eg, actuation (Element) 1240 moves axially to contact the pin (eg, actuator pin) 1242, causing the pin 1032 to pivot about the axis 1033 toward the center of assembly rotation.

The clamping force can be defined by the compression of the spring element 1243. In addition, the compression of the spring element 1243 depends on the distance between the second plate assembly 1024 and the second take-up cup 1012. When the holder assembly 1200 is placed into the extended position, the first plate assembly 1022 disengages from the second plate assembly 1024, allowing the spring mechanism 1230 to extend and move the second plate assembly 1024 and the element 1240 away from the second take-up cup 1012 . The element 1240 can disengage from the actuator pin 1242 and contact the stopper 1247, causing the gripper pin 1032 to pivot about the shaft 1033 away from the center of rotation of the gripper assembly 1200. In addition, the axial movement of the second plate assembly 1024 may be limited by the coupling member 1233. The position of the clamping pin 1032 may correspond to the distance between the second plate assembly 1024 and the second receiving cup 1012 and is engaged by the element 1240 and the pin 1242 and/or the stopper 1247, and/or the element 1240 is clamped The position within the pin 1032 is defined. Compared to when the clamping pin 1032 is in the loading or unloading position, when the clamping pin 1032 is in the clamping position, the distance between the clamping pins 1032 can be reduced.

The pins 1030 and 1032 may be configured to hold the wafer 151 so that the wafer 151 does not contact the first board assembly 1022. The distance between the wafer 151 and the first board assembly 1022 is fixed.

The bellows 1250 is disposed around the second plate assembly 1024, and serves to prevent moisture from entering any space between the second plate assembly 1024 and the take-up cup 1010 (or the second take-up cup 1012). The bellows 1250 may completely surround the second plate assembly 1024 or only partially surround the second plate assembly 1024. In addition, the bellows 1250 can be extended and compressed in response to the movement of the second plate assembly 1024. In addition, the bellows may be coupled to the take-up cup 1010 (or the second take-up cup 1012).

Bellows 1252 may be coupled to shaft 224 to prevent moisture from reaching shaft 224 and/or flowing between shaft 224 and second plate assembly 1024 and/or take-up cup 1010 (or second take-up cup 1012). The bellows 1252 may completely or partially surround the shaft member 224. In addition, the bellows 1252 can be extended and compressed in response to the movement of the shaft 224.

The bellows 1254 can be positioned about the cavity 1246 in which the clamping pin 1032 is positioned. The bellows 1254 may help prevent moisture from flowing into the cavity and flowing between the cavity and the second taking cup 1012.

The bending device may be disposed between the second taking cup 1012 and the second plate assembly 1024. The bending device may be configured to apply a force to the second plate assembly 1024 to assist in moving the second plate assembly 1024 away from the take-up cup 1010 (or the second take-up cup 1012).

The holder assembly 1020 may further include a guide pin 1035. The guide pin 1035 may be coupled to the second plate assembly 1024 and configured to guide the movement and alignment of the first plate assembly 1022 and the second plate assembly 1024. For example, as the first plate assembly 1022 moves closer to the second plate assembly 1024, the guide pin 1035 passes through the cavity 1270, thereby aligning the first plate assembly 1022 and the second plate assembly 1024. In addition, the guide pin 1035 may be configured to limit the angular movement of the second plate assembly 1024 relative to the first plate assembly 1022. The holder assembly 1020 may include one or more guide pins 1035 or no guide pins.

Figure 12B shows the gripper assembly 1020 in an extended (eg, loaded or unloaded) position 1200b. As shown, the clamping pin 1032 has moved to the loading position in response to the movement of the second plate assembly 1024 away from the pickup cup 1010 (or the second pickup cup 1012). For example, the spring mechanism 1230 may extend in response to the first plate assembly 1022 moving away from the second plate assembly 1024, thereby pushing the second plate assembly 1024 away from the take-away cup 1010 (or the second take-away cup 1012). In addition, the element 1240 disengages from the actuator pin 1242 and engages the stopper 1247, and moves the clamping pin 1032 into the loading position. In addition, the bellows 1250 and the bellows 1252 are extended by the movement of the second plate assembly 1024 and the shaft 224, respectively.

The cleaning fluid can flow through one or more holes 1051 onto the backside of the wafer 151. The cleaning fluid may be a flushing agent (for example, DI water or ozone water) or a cleaning chemical. In addition, cleaning fluid may be provided via shaft 224 and then to one or more holes 1051. As shown, one or more holes 1051 can be used to flow chemical reagents onto the backside of the wafer 151. One or more holes 1051 may be formed in the first plate assembly 1022. The number of holes 1051 is one or more. In addition, the one or more holes 1051 may be arranged in a substantially circular or linear pattern. In one embodiment, each of the one or more holes 1051 may be substantially the same size, so that the cleaning fluid flows uniformly across the back surface of the wafer 151. In other embodiments, at least one of the one or more holes 1051 may have a different size than at least one other hole.

Figure 13 shows a method 1300 for cleaning a wafer (eg, wafer 151). At operation 1310, the cleaning module is placed in the wafer loading position. For example, the cover 202 is opened and the first plate assembly 1022 of the holder assembly 1020 of the cleaning module 1000 is moved toward the wall 213 in the lateral direction (eg, X direction) to place the holder assembly 1020 in the loading position. Placing the gripper assembly 1020 in the loading position includes moving the first plate assembly 1022 toward the wall 213 via the shaft 224 and drive motor 222 (operation 1312). For example, the drive motor 222 may drive the shaft member 224 in the lateral direction to move the first plate assembly 1022 toward the wall 213 so that the first plate assembly 1022 is separated from the second plate assembly 1024. Additionally, the spring mechanism 1230 extends in response to moving the first plate assembly 1022 away from the second take-up cup 1012, thereby allowing the element 1240 to place the clamping pin 1032 in the loading position.

Each of the clamping pins 1032 is coupled to the corresponding element 1240 so that each clamping pin 1032 can tilt (or move) away from each other clamping pin 1032. For example, as shown in FIG. 14A, in response to the separation of the first plate assembly 1022 and the second plate assembly 1024, the element 1240 engages the stopper 1247, pivots about the shaft 1033, and tilts the clip away from the center of the holder assembly 1020 Hold 1030. Moving the clamping pin 1032 includes moving the clamping pin 1032 toward the outer edge of the holder assembly 1020 so that the clamping pins are inclined away from the other clamping pins 1032 and the loading pin 1030, thereby increasing the The separation distance and the distance between the clamping pin 1032 and the loading pin 1030.

The holder assembly 1020 can be placed in the extended position 1200b so that the wafer 151 can be received for cleaning and/or the wafer 151 is removed from the cleaning module 1000 after the cleaning cycle has been completed. For example, the holder assembly 1020 can be driven by the drive motor 222 and the shaft 224 so that at least a portion of the first plate assembly 1022 extends beyond the take-out cup 1010 (or the first take-up cup 1011) and is in the extended position 1200b. For example, at least one of the surface 1101 and the loading pin 1030 extends beyond the take-up cup 1010 and enters the internal volume 295. Alternatively, the surface 1101 may be disposed within the processing volume 297 while the loading pin 1030 is positioned within the internal volume 295.

The controller 190 may provide instructions to the drive motor 222 to move the shaft member 224 in the lateral direction to move the gripper assembly 1020 along the shaft 1016 in the horizontal direction. In addition, the controller 190 may receive a flag indicating that the cleaning module 1000 is ready to receive wafers for cleaning. The mark may be received as sensor data received from the sensing device 294.

At operation 1320 of method 1300, the wafer is received for cleaning. For example, in one embodiment, the robot 910 inserts the wafer 151 into the holder assembly 1020 for cleaning. For example, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 14A, the robot 910 inserts the wafer 151 so that the wafer is held by the loading pins 1030 (for example, placed in the grooves of the loading pins).

During entry into the cleaning module 1000, one or more spray bars 290 may pre-treat the wafer 151 by applying one or more fluids to the wafer as the wafer 151 is inserted into the cleaning module 1000. After cleaning the wafer 151 in one or more other cleaning modules (eg, ultrasonic cleaning module 161, pre-cleaning module 162, or brush box cleaning module 164), the wafer 151 may be received.

After the wafer 151 has been fully inserted into the loading pin 1030, the robot 910 releases the wafer 151 and the robot 910 retracts from the cleaning module 1000.

The controller 190 provides instructions to the spray bar 290 to start the pretreatment process. In addition, the controller 190 may receive a flag indicating that the wafer 151 has been inserted into the cleaning module 1000. The logo may be received as sensor data from the sensing device 294.

At operation 1330 of method 1300, the cleaning module is placed in the cleaning position. For example, as shown in operation 1332, the cleaning module 1000 may be placed in the cleaning position by moving the first plate assembly 1022 away from the wall 1013 and toward the second plate assembly 1024. The drive motor 222 drives the shaft 224 to retract the first plate assembly 1022 of the holder assembly 1020, thereby moving the first plate assembly 1022 away from the wall 1013 and toward the second plate assembly 1024. For example, the drive motor 222 may drive the shaft 224 in a lateral or horizontal direction (eg, X direction) to move away from the wall 1013 and move the first plate assembly 1022 toward the second plate assembly 1024.

In addition, as the drive motor 222 moves away from the wall 1013 and moves the first plate assembly 1022 toward the second plate assembly 1024, the first plate assembly 1022 contacts the second plate assembly 1024, thereby compressing the spring mechanism 1230. In addition, as the first plate assembly 1022 applies more force to the second plate assembly 1024 and the spring mechanism 1230 compresses, the element 1240 disengages from the stopper 1247 and contacts the corresponding pin of the actuator pin 1242, thereby clamping The pin 1032 is placed in the clamping position. In response, the clamping pin 1032 applies clamping force or pressure to the wafer 151. By changing the position of the second plate assembly 1024, the amount of clamping force applied by the clamping pin 1032 can be changed.

The controller 190 may be used to provide instructions to the drive motor 222 to move the shaft 224 away from the wall 1013 in the lateral direction and toward the second plate assembly 1024, thereby moving the first plate in the lateral direction toward the second plate assembly 1024 and away from the wall 1013 Component 1022. Once the clamping assembly 1020 has been placed in the retracted position 1200b, a cleaning cycle can be initiated. The controller 190 may receive sensor data from the sensing device 294 indicating that the gripper assembly 1020 is positioned in the retracted position 1200b (eg, cleaning position), and initiate a cleaning cycle.

At operation 1340, the wafer is cleaned. The wafer 151 and the holder assembly 1020 are placed in the cleaning position so that the wafer and the holder assembly completely rest within the processing volume 297. The wafer 151 can be cleaned by the cleaning module 1000. For example, as shown in operation 1342, performing a cleaning cycle may include dispensing fluid onto the surface of the wafer 151. In addition, as shown by operation 1344, performing the cleaning cycle includes rotating the wafer 151.

In addition, the position of the wafer 151 within the processing volume 297 may be changed during the cleaning process. For example, one or more of the distance between the second plate assembly 1024 and the take-up cup 1010 (or the second take-up cup 1012) and the amount of compression spring mechanism 1230 can be changed, thereby changing the wafer 151 in the processing volume Location within 297.

Cleaning the wafer 151 includes simultaneously rotating the pick-up cup 1010, the holder assembly 1020, and the wafer 151, while applying cleaning fluid to the first side (front surface) and second side (back surface) of the wafer 151. Rotating the pick-up cup 1010, gripper assembly 1020, and wafer 151 while applying the cleaning fluid assists in minimizing and/or eliminating the re-attachment of particles to any surface of the wafer 151. For example, the drive motor 222 may be configured to rotate the pick cup 1010, the holder assembly 1020, and the wafer 151. For example, the driving motor 222 can rotate the shaft member 224 to rotate the receiving cup 1010, the holder assembly 1020, and the wafer 151. The wafer 151 rotates at a speed in the range of about 500 RPM to about 1000 RPM, so that the fluid is removed from the surface of the wafer 151. The wafer 151 may rotate at a speed of less than 500 RPM or greater than about 1000 RPM. In addition, the rate at which the wafer 151 rotates can be changed during the cleaning process. Furthermore, once the wafer holder 210 has been placed in the cleaning position, a cleaning cycle may be initiated.

The first cleaning fluid may be applied to the back surface of the wafer 151 (eg, the surface adjacent to the surface 1101) via the fluid source 223, the shaft 224, and the hole 1051. In addition, the second fluid may be applied to the front surface of the wafer 151 (eg, the surface opposite to the surface 1101) via the nozzle mechanism 240. The purge arm drive motor 234 moves the purge arm 230 so that the nozzle mechanism 240 moves over the front surface of the wafer 151 in an arc-shaped path. The nozzle mechanism 240 may be used to apply cleaning fluid to the front surface of the wafer 151 during the cleaning process. The fluid may include cleaning chemicals and/or flushing agents. In one embodiment, the cleaning fluid can be applied to the front and back surfaces of the wafer 151 substantially simultaneously. In addition, the cleaning fluid may be applied to the front surface of the wafer 151 independently of applying the cleaning fluid to the back surface of the wafer 151. For example, during one or more overlapping and non-overlapping periods, cleaning fluid may be applied to the back surface of the wafer 151 and cleaning fluid may be applied to the back surface of the wafer 151. During the first non-overlapping period, one or more cleaning fluids may be applied to the front surface of the wafer 151, and during the second non-overlapping period, one or more cleaning fluids may be applied to the back surface of the wafer 151. The overlapping and non-overlapping cycles of cleaning cycles can occur in any order. In addition, the number and/or order of overlapping and non-overlapping cycles can be changed between cleaning cycles. Although in the cleaning position, it is at least reduced and in various embodiments eliminates the cleaning fluid splashing back onto the wafer 151.

During at least one of the cleaning process, the loading process, and the unloading process, the airflow in the cleaning module 200 mitigates the occurrence of recirculation, thereby preventing particles from attaching to the surface of the wafer 151 again.

The controller 190 may receive a flag indicating that the gripper assembly 220 is positioned in the cleaning position. For example, the controller 190 may receive sensor data from the sensing device 294. In addition, the controller 190 may be configured to control the flow of cleaning fluid through the shaft 224 and the hole 1051, and the movement and control of the fluid through the nozzle mechanism 240. The controller 190 may provide instructions to the purge arm drive motor 234 to move the nozzle mechanism 240 across the surface of the wafer 151. In addition, the controller 190 may output instructions to the nozzle mechanism to dispense cleaning fluid from one or more nozzles. In addition, the controller 190 may control the timing of the nozzles so that the cleaning fluid is output at different times. For example, one nozzle can be controlled to start dispensing cleaning fluid before the other nozzle. One or more nozzles may be used to output cleaning fluid, while at least the other nozzle does not output cleaning fluid.

At operation 1350, the cleaned wafer is removed from the cleaning module. Removing the wafer from the cleaning module 1000 includes moving the first board assembly 1022 of the holder assembly 1020 away from the second board assembly 1024 of the holder assembly 1020 (operation 1352). As the first plate assembly 1022 moves away from the second take-up cup 1012, the spring mechanism 1230 extends, thereby imparting force to the second plate assembly 1024. In response, the second plate assembly 1024 moves in the same direction as the first plate assembly 1022, and the force applied by the actuator pin 1242 to the element 1240 decreases. In addition, as the second plate assembly 1024 moves, the element 1240 engages the stopper 1247 and moves the clamping pin 1032 into the loading position, thereby releasing the clamping of the clamping pin 1032 on the wafer 151 and moving the wafer 151 is unloaded onto the loading pin 1032.

In addition, removing the wafer 151 from the cleaning module includes operations 1354 and 1356 to stop dispensing the cleaning fluid, and stops the rotation of the wafer.

At the end of the cleaning cycle, the holder assembly 1020 is moved into the loading position by the drive motor 222 and the shaft 224. In addition, the nozzle mechanism 240 may terminate the spraying fluid, and at the end of the cleaning cycle and before moving the first plate assembly 1022, the nozzle mechanism 240 and the purge arm 230 may move away from the pick-up cup 1010, thereby moving away from the first plate assembly 1022 The path moves the nozzle mechanism 240 and the purge arm 230. For example, at the end of the cleaning cycle, the nozzle mechanism 240 and the purge arm 230 may be positioned such that they do not interfere with the movement of the gripper assembly 1020 and the robot 910.

The drive motor 222 and the shaft 224 can be used to move the first plate assembly 1022 toward the wall 1013 in the lateral direction, thereby causing the first plate assembly 1022 to separate from the second plate assembly 1024 and placing the clamping pin 1032 in the loading position . In addition, the wafer 151 moves within the internal volume 295. In addition, the spray bar 290 may be engaged during the unloading process to apply fluid to the wafer 151.

At the end of the cleaning cycle, the dispensing of cleaning fluid through the shaft 224 and the nozzle mechanism 240 is stopped. Before moving the first plate assembly 1022 towards the wall 1013, the dispensing of cleaning fluid is stopped. The fluid can continue to be provided on the back surface of the wafer 151 while stopping the distribution of the fluid to the front surface.

In addition, after the holder assembly 1020 has been placed in the unloading position, the wafer 151 may be removed.

FIG. 14A shows an example where the holder assembly 1020 is positioned in the unloading position so that the robot 910 can remove the wafer 151 from the cleaning module 1000. In one embodiment, the robot 910 may enter the cleaning module through an opening that is not obstructed by the cover 202, pick up the cleaning wafer 151, and remove the cleaning wafer 151 from the cleaning module 200.

The controller 190 may provide an instruction to the drive motor 222 to move the shaft 224 toward the first take-up cup 211 in the lateral direction, thereby moving the first plate assembly 1022 in the lateral direction and toward the wall 1013 to place the gripper assembly 1020 In the unloading position, the robot 910 can remove the cleaned wafer 151 from the cleaning module 1000. In addition, once the wafer 151 is positioned in the internal volume 295, the controller 190 may provide an instruction to the drive motor 222 to stop the rotation of the pickup cup 1010 and the holder assembly 1020. The controller 190 may also provide instructions to the nozzle mechanism 240 and/or the fluid source 223 to stop dispensing the cleaning fluid. In addition, the controller 190 may also provide instructions to the spray wand 290 to start dispensing fluid. For example, when the first plate assembly 1022 begins to move, when the first plate assembly 1022 cleans the wall 1013, or at any other point during the unloading process, the controller 190 may instruct the spray bar 290 to begin dispensing fluid to coincide with the end of the cleaning cycle .

Although the above content relates to the embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure can be designed without departing from its basic category, and its scope is determined by the scope of the following patent applications.

100: CMP system 102: Factory interface 104: cleaner 106: Polishing module 108: bracket 110: Robot 111: Robot 114: Storage crystal box 116: Delivery platform 119: Carrier head assembly 120: Platform 122: Loading station 123a: Load the cup 123b: Load the cup 124a: polishing station 124b: polishing station 124c: polishing station 124d: polishing station 128: overhead track 151: Wafer 161: Ultrasonic cleaning module 162: Pre-cleaning module 164: Brush box cleaning module 166: Cleaning module 168: Dry storage tank 190: Controller 192: Central Processing Unit (CPU) 194: Memory 196: Support circuit 200: cleaning module 201: Cleaning module 202: cover 203: Wafer clamping device 204: cover 210: Take the cup 211: Take the first cup 212: Second take cup 213: Wall 214: annular inner surface 216: axis of rotation 220: gripper assembly 222: drive motor 223: Fluid source 224: Shaft 230: Purge arm 232: Purge arm shaft 234: Purge arm drive motor 236: Purge arm drive assembly 240: nozzle mechanism 260: Discharge device 261: Drain hole 262: Drain hole 264: Labyrinth 270: Air inlet 280: air chamber 283: Shell wall 284: Excretion device 290: spray stick 292: Entrance connection 293: Power cable connection 294: Sensing device 295: internal volume 297: processing volume 300a: retracted position 300b: extended position 301: Coupling surface 302: Shaft 311: Load pin 312: Features 313: Rotating axis 315: Clamping pin 317: Guide pin 318: First board assembly 320: Second board assembly 330: spring mechanism 331: Spring 333: coupling member 351: Hole 380: Components 380a: end 380b: end 381: Spring element 410: Nozzle 412: Angle 420: Nozzle 422: Angle 430: Nozzle 432: Angle 440: Connect 442: First connection 444: Second connection 610: Path 800: Method 810: Operation 812: Operation 820: Operation 830: Operation 832: Operation 840: Operation 842: Operation 844: Operation 850: Operation 852: Operation 854: Operation 856: Operation 910: Robot 1000: cleaning module 1003: Wafer clamping device 1010: Take the cup 1011: Take the first cup 1012: Second take cup 1013: Wall 1014: annular inner surface 1016: Rotating axis 1020: gripper assembly 1022: First board assembly 1024: Second board assembly 1030: Load pin 1032: Clamping pin 1033: Shaft 1035: Guide pin 1051: Hole 1101: Surface 1200a: retracted position 1200b: extended position 1230: Spring mechanism 1231: Spring 1233: Coupling member 1240: Actuating element 1242: Actuator pin 1243: Spring element 1247: Stopper 1250: Bellows 1252: Bellows 1254: Bellows 1270: cavity 1300: Method 1310: Operation 1312: Operation 1320: Operation 1330: Operation 1332: Operation 1340: Operation 1342: Operation 1344: Operation 1350: Operation 1352: Operation 1354: Operation 1356: Operation

In order to be able to understand the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure in detail, reference may be made to the embodiments for a more detailed description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above, and some embodiments are shown in the drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings only show common embodiments of the present disclosure, and thus are not considered to limit its scope, because the present disclosure may allow other equally effective embodiments.

Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of a chemical mechanical polishing system according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 2A is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a cleaning module according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 2B shows a schematic diagram of a cleaning module according to one or more embodiments.

3A and 3B are schematic cross-sectional side views of a wafer clamping device according to one or more embodiments.

Figures 3C, 3D, and 3E show various views of the holder assembly according to one or more embodiments.

Figures 3F and 3G show various views of the holder assembly according to one or more embodiments.

Figures 4A, 4B, and 5 illustrate various nozzle mechanisms according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a purge arm according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 7A shows the airflow in the cleaning module according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 7B shows a partial schematic view of a drain hole according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method for cleaning wafers according to one or more embodiments.

Figures 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D show various examples of wafer holder devices according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a cleaning module according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a wafer clamping device according to one or more embodiments.

Figures 12A and 12B show various views of a holder assembly according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 13 shows a method for cleaning wafers according to one or more embodiments.

14A, 14B, and 14C illustrate various examples of wafer clamping devices according to one or more embodiments.

For ease of understanding, the same element symbols have been used to identify the same elements shared in the figures where possible. It is expected that the elements disclosed in one embodiment can be advantageously used in other embodiments without specific description related thereto.

Domestic storage information (please note in order of storage institution, date, number) no

Overseas hosting information (please note in order of hosting country, institution, date, number) no

151: Wafer

202: cover

203: Wafer clamping device

222: drive motor

223: Fluid source

224: Shaft

230: Purge arm

232: Purge arm shaft

234: Purge arm drive motor

236: Purge arm drive assembly

240: nozzle mechanism

260: Discharge device

262: Drain hole

264: Labyrinth

270: Air inlet

280: air chamber

284: Excretion device

290: spray stick

294: Sensing device

295: internal volume

297: processing volume

1000: cleaning module

1003: Wafer clamping device

1010: Take the cup

1011: Take the first cup

1012: Second take cup

1013: Wall

1014: annular inner surface

1016: Rotating axis

1020: gripper assembly

1022: First board assembly

1024: Second board assembly

1051: Hole

1247: Stopper

Claims (15)

A cleaning module, including: A wafer clamping device is configured to support a wafer in a vertical orientation. The wafer clamping device includes: a pick-up cup including a wall having an annular inner surface, wherein the annular inner surface defines a The processing area and the ring-shaped inner surface have an angled portion that is symmetrical about a central axis of the wafer holding device; a holder assembly configured to be in a loading position, a rinsing position, and a Positioned in at least one of the cleaning positions, wherein the cleaning position of the holder assembly is set in the processing area, the holder assembly includes: a first plate assembly; a second plate assembly; the second plate assembly A clamping pin, wherein when the holder assembly is in the loading position, the clamping pin is a first distance from a center of the holder assembly, and when the holder assembly is in the cleaning position , The clamping pin is a second distance from the central axis of the wafer clamping device, the first distance is greater than the second distance; and a loading pin of the first plate assembly, wherein when the holder When the assembly is in the loading position and the cleaning position, the loading pin is at a third distance from the central axis. The cleaning module of claim 1, wherein when the holder assembly is set in the cleaning position, an edge of the wafer is in contact with the holding pin, and the wafer is not in contact with the loading pin , Wherein the clamping pin is configured to contact the edge of the wafer to reduce interference with the wafer during a cleaning process. The cleaning module of claim 2, wherein when the holder assembly is disposed in the loading position, the loading pin is in contact with the edge of the wafer and is configured to reduce by the cleaning process during a cleaning process The loading pin interferes with the wafer. The cleaning module of claim 1, further comprising a housing wall spaced apart from the take-out cup, wherein an inner area is defined between the housing wall and the take-out cup. The cleaning module according to claim 4, wherein the first board assembly is: When the gripper assembly is in the loading position, it is at least partially positioned within the inner region and spaced apart from the second plate assembly; and when the gripper assembly is in the cleaning position, at least partially contacting the second Board components. The cleaning module of claim 1, wherein the second plate assembly is coupled to the take-up cup by one or more spring mechanisms, and wherein the one or the compression is compressed when the holder assembly is in the cleaning position Multiple spring mechanisms. The cleaning module according to claim 1, wherein: The take-up cup further includes an actuator pin; and the clamping pin is coupled to an actuator element, the actuator element is used to: with the actuator pin when the holder assembly is in the cleaning position Engage and position the clamping pin in the cleaning position; and when the clamper assembly is in the loading position, disengage from the actuator pin and position the clamping pin in the loading position. The cleaning module according to claim 1, wherein the taking cup further comprises: One or more drain holes, wherein the annular inner surface is configured to guide moisture to the one or more drain holes as the take-up cup rotates about the central axis. The cleaning module of claim 8, wherein each of the one or more drain holes is fluidly coupled to an internal area of the cleaning module through a corresponding air maze, the air maze is shaped to relieve moisture flow Into this inner area. The cleaning module of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more drain holes includes a first wall and a second wall, wherein the first wall tapers away from the second wall. The cleaning module according to claim 1, further comprising a bellows coupled to the second plate assembly and the taking cup. The cleaning module according to claim 1, further comprising: A nozzle mechanism, coupled to a purge arm, includes a first nozzle oriented at a first angle to a surface of the first plate assembly and configured to provide a high-energy fluid; and a second The nozzle is oriented at a second angle to the surface of the first plate assembly, wherein the second angle is different from the first angle. The cleaning module of claim 12, wherein during a cleaning process, the first nozzle is used to apply a high-energy cleaning fluid, and the second nozzle is used to apply a second fluid. The cleaning module according to claim 12, wherein the first nozzle is one of a supersonic nozzle and a spray nozzle configured to deliver a mixture of gas and liquid, and wherein the purge arm is configured to The nozzle mechanism is moved over at least a portion of the first plate assembly during the cleaning process. The cleaning module of claim 1, further comprising a drive motor coupled to the wafer holding device through a shaft member and configured to rotate the connection about the central axis simultaneously during a cleaning process Take the cup and the holder assembly.

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